Cover for decorating mounds, graves, and other similar purposes.



No. 873,279. EATENTED DEO. 1o, 1907.

. c. WEBER-ILMO. OOVEE EOE DEOOEATING MOUNDS, OEAvEs, ANO OTHER SIMILE'EPURPOSES. APPLICATION FILED NOV.11, 1905.

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No. 873,279. l PATBNTBD DBo.1o,- 19o?.-

c. wEBB-R-ILLIG. COVER PoR DBGORATING MOUNDS, GRAVES, AND OTHERSIMILARPURPOSES.

4APPLICATION FILED NOV. .11, 1905.

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CARL WEBER-ILLIG, OF DELAWANNA, NEW JERSEY.

COVER FOR DECORATING MOUNDS, GRAVES, AND.OTH'ER SIMILAR PURPOSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed November ll, 1905. Serial No. 286,800.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL WEBER-ILLIG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Delawanna, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Covers forDecorating Mounds, Graves, and other Similar Purposes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to covers to be used for covering mounds, gravesand other similar purposes and which are primarily intended either forbeautifying a newly made grave or for providing convenient and sim lemeans for holding moss or earth as a bed or artificial or naturalflowers, ferns, leaves, etc., as well as for protecting natural flowerbeds during times of frost and against other disturbing elements.

My invention contemplates a convenient and eective cover for graves,mounds, etc., which comprises an inner and outer body ortion of wiremesh, said body portions being capable when in position, of beingmaintained at a definite distance with respect to each other so that aninterspace or receptacle will be provided, in which can be positivelyconfined artificial flowers, bay leaves, ferns and other means forornamenting newly made graves, or a bedding of highly fertilized soilcan with equal positiveness, be maintained within said space orreceptacle for permitting natural owers to be planted at such times asweather conditions are suitable.

My invention further contemplates the use, in connection with gravecovers, of a simple and eective head piece which is also arranged toprovide a positive receptacle for the reception of either artificial ornatural flowers as well as for a suitable means on which to inscribe thename of the person reposing in the grave.

My invention still further contemplates the employment of appropriatemeans for lsecuring the cover, either alone or in conjunction with thehead piece so that it, or they, may be rendered proof againstdisturbance by the elements, or by other accidental or wilfuldisplacement.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists of the novelfeatures of construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafterfully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

I will now describe a cover embodying my invention and then point outJthe novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawing, FigureV 1 represents a perspective view ofa cover embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof,showing the same applied to a mound or grave. Fig. 3 is a view similarto Fig. 2 but on an enlargedv scale, and removed from the mound orgrave. In this view parts are broken away to show the means for securingthe outer body portion of the cover to the ground. F ig. 4 is atransverse section of a modified form of my invention. In this viewparts are also broken away to show the means of securing the head pieceto the cover and the latter to the ground. Fig. 5 is a centrallongitudinal section taken on the line of Fig. 4.

Similar reference characters designate cor-.

responding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 ignate respectively, an inner and an outer covercomposed of open wire mesh, the same being mounted on substantialrectangular frames 4 and 5, which are sufficiently large to convenientlysurround the mound or grave, and. which, when in position thereon, reston the ground. As shown, the inner and outer cover may be hingedtogether by providing suitable link connections 6, although this is notessential and forms no important part of my invention, and may thereforebe dispensed with. The inner cover 2, has secured. to it a number ofarched pieces 7, arranged transversely in their relation to the coverand of sufficient width to conveniently s an the mound or grave, theirlower ends, w ich eX tend below the lower side of the cover, beingprovided with prongs 8, preferably upturned, as shown, to insurepositive and effective anchorage when they are inserted in the ground.These arched pieces serve, also, the purpose of maintaining the cover 2,in its original shape and may be more or less in number according toconditions and requirements.

At each corner of the outer cover 3, I provide a tubular socket 9,fastened thereto in any suitable or convenient manner, and

and 3, 2 and 3 des.-

adapted to receive therein, at one end, rods 10, Whose upper ends areprovided with shoulders or knobs to engage the upper ends of the sockets9, their lower ends being provided with up-turned hooks adapted to enterthe earth and eii'ect a substantial anchorage of the outer cover 3. Whenno head or foot piece, such as I have illustrated and designate by thenumeral 11, isdesired, sockets 9 and rods 10 will be employed at eachcorner of the outer cover 3, but when the head or vtoot piece 11, isdesired, then the lower ends of the surrounding frame 12, thereof, whichWill be constructed of substantial wire, will be passed through thesockets at that end oi" the cover at which it is desired to have itplaced, and shoulders 14, will be pi'ovided to rest upon the upper endsof the sockets S), thus effecting not only an interlocking of the. heador foot piece, and outer cover 3, but also effecting secure anchorage ofboth to lthe ground.

The head or foot piece, as the case may be, is composed of two parallelwalls 11, 11b, ot any ornamental or desired contour and separated fromeach other so as to provide a receptacle to receive moss, earth,artificial or naturalloWers, ivy, ferns, leaves, and the like, and oneor both walls may be provided with an opening 15, within which may beplaced an a propriate stone, slab, or other object', on w iich toinscribe the name of the person reposing in the grave, as for example.

son shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Figs. 4 and 5, l have shown a slightly modified form of head or footpiece, but in other respects the construction is precisely similar tothat described and shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. It will be observed thatthe head or foot piece, in this instance is composed of a tubular rod12a, (although a solid rod may be used if desired) bent into appropriateor desired shape, its lower terminals being provided with extensions12b, preferably bent into the form of hooks and adapted to enter theground for 'the purpose of anchoring the head or foot piece firmlytherein. It a solid rod is used for the purpose, its terminals maybebent into the form of hooks, but if a tubular rod is preferred,independent rods 1 will be thrust into its hollow extremities andsecured therein in any suitable manner. In each instance they are passedthrough the sleeves 9 on the outer cover 3 for the purpose of securingit to the ground as previously described.

A backing 16 is provided for the head or foot piece, and, as hereinshown is composed of coarse Wire mesh Which is secured to the rod 12, inany appropriate manner. This backing is so arranged as to provide aspace between it and the front frame for the reception of moss, ferns,leaves or other objects of adornment. The upper front of the head orfoot piece, for a portion of its length, is

` body portion, and independent :removable covered with a similar coarsewire mesh 17, and the lower front et the head or foot piece is similarlycovered with wire mesh 1S, the lower edge of which is prelirably arched,or otherwise contoured, to lit over the mound cover. rl`he space thusprovided between the upper and lower wire sections 17 and IS, may beutilized for the insertion ol' an appropriate inscription plate 19,which may be secured to the traine 12", in any suitable manner, as bythe clamps 2() shown in the drawings.

My invention, while being` primarily intended for use as a cover forgraves, mounds, and other objects raised above the ground, may beemployed to equal advantage in providing I'lat and other ornamentaldesigns for holding natural Vl'loweis for decorating purposes, the spacebetween the walls being particularly adaptable lor holding highlyfertilized earth, and such other substai'ices which would tend toinvigorate and promet e the growth and beauty ol the llowers. When usedfor this purpose the lower wall will, of course, be constructed ofexceedingly line wire mesh in order to hold the earth more securely, andit will be apparent that the device inay be easily moved from place toplace for purposes of obtaining variations, in any Vfloral decorations,from day to day.

It is obvious, of course, that the inner and outer covers 2 and 3, mayeach be made up of a plurality ol sections joined together iii anysuitable manner. ,In other words, one or both covers, instead el' beingmade in one section, as shown, maybe made up ol" several sectionsadapted, when in assembled 'position, to interlock and 'lorm a completestructure, and this construction would render my invention the moreeasily handled tor purposes of transportation..

lflaving thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is, as follows:

1. A cover for graves, mounds and the like, comprising an inner andouter body portion of wire mesh, adapted to fit over a grave and soarranged with respect to each other as to provide an interspace orreceptacle of' equal transverse dimensions throughout and in which canbe positively conlined moss, earth, artificial or natual .l lowers, andmeans for maintaining a deiinite distance between the inner and outerbody portions; said means including sockets on the outer anchoring rodsbearing in said sockets.

2. A cover Vfor graves, mounds, and the like, comprising an inner and anouter body portion of wire mesh adapted to -fit over a grave and soarranged relatively with each other as to provide a space between themlor the reception of moss, Vlerns, earth, artiiicial or natural ilowers,means for maintainiiig a definite distance between the inner and maw@ ies;

outer body portion, a head or foot piece l ln witness whereoflhavesigned my name comprising two Walls spaced apart to prog to thisspecification in the presence of two 10 vide space between them forholding inoss, subscribed witnesses.

ferns, earth7 leaves, etc., and having an open- CART WFBER U LIG ing forreceiving and retaining a slab stone J J J or inscription plate, andmeans for interlocking said head or foot piece with the cover, and forsecuring the same to the ground.

Witnesses:

J. A. RENNIE, JAMES JOHNSON.

